Are you curious what it’s REALLY like to be a YouTuber? I would like to share with you my journey with YouTube. In particular, the benefits and challenges that come with being a YouTuber, and how you can leverage this platform in order to achieve massive success online.

I’ve had my YouTube channel, Project Life Mastery, for 6 years now. As of today, I have 465,000 subscribers on my channel. I have reached over 1 million views per month, and over 24 million views in total. I am so humbled by the vast number of people that have been impacted by my content.

The power of video cannot be underestimated. It has become the future of content marketing. According to YouTube, mobile video consumption grows by 100% every year.

I have been able to use YouTube as a platform in order to influence, inspire and impact millions of people. So much so, that I have been able to build a 7-figure business per year from it. Let’s dive into what it means to be a YouTuber!

Watch the video below:

(Click here to watch on YouTube)

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YouTube can be a powerful way to make money online. Are you ready to learn which online business format is right for you? CLICK HERE to take my quiz!

My mission as a YouTuber has always been to serve people.

In order to understand how I became a YouTuber, let's take a step back and talk about where my journey began. When I was 21 years old I started a life and dating coaching business called, Lifestyle Transformations. When I was younger I suffered from extreme shyness and social anxiety, which impacted every area of my life.

After years of self-development work on myself, I was inspired to share my story and help other men achieve the same breakthroughs that I had experienced. Through seminars, events, and one-on-one coaching, I taught men skills and strategies for how to condition their mindset and become more confident and attractive to women.

However, I reached a point at which I wanted to make a transition away from the dating coaching business because I didn't feel that it was aligned with my true purpose. That’s what prompted me to start my YouTube channel in 2012.

When I first started filming videos I felt so awkward. Sharing my story in front of a camera was outside of my comfort zone. I was afraid that people were going to judge me. However, I knew that if I put myself on YouTube, I would overcome my fears. If you want to achieve success, you need to conquer the very things that hold you back in life. Eventually, I got into a rhythm with filming and felt more confident.

I use this story as an example that may also inspire you. There are many people that decide not to use YouTube as a format for messages they want to give.

This is a mistake that you don’t want to make.

Get enough courage to go in front of a video camera and to begin sharing any of the messages you think are important.

It’s not only important when learning how to be a YouTuber, but it allows you to connect to your audience.

It’s how someone can be involved with you personally and allows you to connect in a way that is not possible in any other form.

The personalization is something you can’t find anywhere else on the Internet. Writing a blog, sending an email or even talking with others on social media doesn’t have the same impact as someone seeing your body expressions and how you are responding to your message. It shows your passion, committment and how you are trying to add value to someone else’s lives when you can create that level of personalization.

The process of personalization when you learn how to be a YouTuber is so important that it becomes the basis of your brand. I’ve found that my messages on YouTube are more effective than any area of my website or the basis of my business. It has helped me to create a connection to people around the globe that I would have never had the opportunity to do in the past.

When you look at how to be a YouTuber, you will find that it’s not only important to overcome your fear, but also to build the entire identity of your brand.

I used my YouTube channel as a self-development tool. By sharing my content, it helped me integrate the knowledge that I was already learning at a much deeper level while impacting others in the process. More importantly, being a YouTuber gave me the ability to further develop my speaking and communication skills.

At the onset, it didn't feel like anyone was watching my videos, but over time, I received more views and positive feedback from people, which gave me the motivation that I needed in order to keep going.

The greatest benefit that I have received from being a YouTuber is the number of people that I've been able to help, through my teachings. Sometimes it can be really emotional to see the impact that my videos have had on people. A lot of good has come from being a YouTuber, but there have also been challenges along the way.

Any time that you put yourself out there and express your opinions, there is always going to be a percentage of people that will judge you.

When I first started filming videos, it was hard to receive mean and negative comments from people because I grew up with the belief that, if you didn't have anything nice to say, then you shouldn't say anything at all. In the online world, this rule doesn't apply.

You need to understand that, the only reason that people judge and criticize others is that they are suffering. I've learned not to judge people based on their behaviors. All that you can do is send love and compassion to your haters.

At the end of the day, I’m grateful for every negative comment that I have received because they have made me stronger. Be authentic to who you are, no matter what people say about you online. All that matters is that you can look in the mirror and be proud of the person that you see staring back at you.

Another challenge of being a YouTuber is that sometimes your followers can have a level of entitlement, which can create a lot of demand on you, leaving you feeling overwhelmed. By nature, I am a people pleaser and I want to make everyone happy, but in the online world, this is not possible.

There are several ways that this can take place. For instance, new content that follow trends are always more important. When there are many subscribers, there is also an expectation to continue creating the new content, specifically so they can continue learning from you.

When you learn how to be a YouTuber, make sure you look at the logistics and make certain plans for your channel to work for you. While it is not possible to reach all the demands, there are also ways you can manage and work with the online world of video.

5 Steps on How to Be a YouTuber

When you start your journey on how to be a YouTuber, there are certain initiatives you can take for the process to work. These are some things I have done for an effective channel and to keep gathering followers.

1. Find Your Voice. There are millions of videos that are published every day. This means that you need to find your voice in the crowd and stand out. Make sure you are sharing content that is unique to you and that your audience is looking to hear this. I believe that this is one of the most important steps when you learn how to be a YouTuber.

2. Know What Your Audience Needs. Spend time gathering information about your audience. Who is looking for your content? What do they need? Why are they looking for you? Remember that you are creating a personal connection to others. This means that you need to be empathic and speak to their needs first.

Finding audience needs is sometimes complex and takes research. You will want to look at trends as well as general concerns with those who are looking for your video. Ask others why they would look for your products or services and what their needs are. You can also reach out to your subscribers to see if there are topics they want you to cover as you develop your content.

3. Prepare to Entertain. When you create your first YouTube videos, there may not be a tone or structure that you have. To stand out from the crowd, make sure you are able to keep the interest of those watching the video. Entertaining means that you are able to captivate and keep the attention of your audience through the entire video. It doesn’t mean you have to juggle or do something that is out of the way, but know how to keep their attention.

 4. Create a Plan.  One of the easiest ways to produce more content for YouTube is to structure a plan. Develop the types of topics you want to cover, the titles they have and how they will work with your channel and be of interest to your subscribers. As you do this, look at the goals you want to reach when you create the videos, such as how many likes, shares or subscribes you will receive.

 5. Know Your Next Steps. If you decide to learn how to be a YouTuber, then don’t stop the process there. If you put a video online, then it stays online and isn’t necessarily going to reach anyone. You also have to market and share the video that you have created. Use social media, your website, blogs or emails to spread the word about your blog. Find specific groups that you know will respond positively when you share your video with them.

There are several strategies and approaches you want to learn how to do when you are learning how to be a YouTuber.

These are all related to what your message is and how it is associated with your videos. If you are going to find your voice and connect to your audience, make sure you are passionate about what you offer.

I think this is the most important part of building a YouTube channel or promoting any product or service. This is what helps me to override any negative comments that are on YouTube.

When I look at the value I provide others and the messages I send, it overrides any other hesitation I have or any feedback I would receive from being a YouTuber.

When you are passionate about your videos and know your purpose for creating them, then you will find that creating the videos becomes easier and more effective.

I’ve found that focusing on the messages I believe provide more value to others, I am able to build more subscribers and the videos often reach a wider audience. Use this as your basis when you learn how to be a YouTuber and you will create an empowering channel for everyone involved.

At the end of the day, the benefits of being a YouTuber outweigh all of the challenges.

I would not be who I am today without my Project Life Mastery Youtube channel. I'm so grateful to all of my subscribers, who saw value in my content, and who decided to watch, like and share my videos.

I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for believing in me and being a part of my mission. It's because of you that I do what I do, and it is my honor to serve you. In the words of Gandhi, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

YouTube can be a powerful way to make money online. Are you ready to learn which online business format is right for you? CLICK HERE to take my quiz!

Do you want to learn more about my journey to becoming a successful YouTuber? CLICK HERE to read the article I wrote on Medium!